Since some states have begun legalizing and regulating the possession, consumption and sale of cannabis, there have been more and more events popping up where cannabis is the theme – but few of them have allowed on-site consumption or sale of cannabis. One of the most well-known events of this kind is the High Times Cannabis Cup – which historically started in Amsterdam and now has had events in various states in the U.S. for both medicinal and recreational cannabis consumers, growers and producers.
While the preparation for the High Times 4/20 SoCal event in San Bernardino didn’t go quite as planned, it appears that things went somewhat more smoothly for their preparation for the Central Valley Cannabis Cup at Cal Expo fairgrounds scheduled for this weekend, May 4th and 5th, as they received the first temporary cannabis event license to allow on-site sales and consumption.
When legal cannabis sales began January 1st new requirements for events hoping to allow cannabis sales and consumption were put into place – and High Times wasn’t quite prepared for the new processes. Things might have been able to go as originally anticipated for the SoCal event had their organizers gone to local officials before attempting to get permits from the state as required by the laws in effect after the passing of Proposition 64.
Though technically it was not allowed – according to High Times themselves – and despite the fact that the San Bernardino City Council voted to block the lawful sale of cannabis, there was still on-site consumption at the event.
However, High Times appears to have gotten things in order for the Central Valley event. The Sacramento City Council only had 12 days notice to make their decision on whether to allow on-site sales and consumption rather than the 60 days required – and a vote of 6-2 on Tuesday was just in time for the Bureau of Cannabis Control to approve the one-time permit.
Somehow, High Times CEO Adam Levin believed that they already had approvals for the Central Valley event and had expected to get approval in San Bernardino simply because they had hosted Cannabis Cup events in the past. This is not the first time that High Times Cannabis Cups have been changed, or even relocated at the last minute, due to not getting the necessary approvals from state or local officials for one reason or another.
After all, the events are advertised, and tickets are sold months in advance – and one of the new requirements is a 60-day-notice – and though the Bureau of Cannabis Control was lenient this year when it comes to cannabis events, next year that’s not so likely to happen. Hopefully, these latest experiences will at least help High Times event organizers be better prepared for future Cannabis Cups that are to be held in California.
The Central Valley event this weekend, however, is preparing to be in full-force with on-site sales and consumption of cannabis, with a number of artists headlining the event including Lauryn Hill, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Rich The Kid, Cypress Hill, Rick Ross and Ludacris. According to High Times, they have a rideshare program for those attending the festival that was approved by the California Highway Patrol. We can only hope that everyone in attendance has a safe and enjoyable weekend and that things go more smoothly for future events looking to allow open cannabis consumption.
